Avontuur Thoroughbred Estate’s blue-blooded sire Talk Of The Town came up with his second first-crop winner when his two-year-old son Sakurajima won the first race at Fairview on Friday.
Trained by Kelly Mitchley, Sakurajima was dispatched as the favourite for Friday’s Welcome To Nelson Mandela Bay Maiden Juvenile Plate (1400m) and duly met expectations.
Under S’Manga Khumalo, the Talk Of The Town colt stormed home to win as he liked by three lengths.
Bred by Winterbach Stud, Sakurajima was making his first start in the Eastern Cape on Friday, with the two-year-old having finished fourth at Turffontein previously.
Friday’s winner is out of the Trippi mare Kilauea. Sakurajima was originally sold for R200 000 at the 2023 August Two Year Old Sale, before being knocked down for R140 000 at the 2024 June Online Auction.
His sire Talk Of The Town was a smart performer who won three of just five career starts.
A son of top sprinter and South Africa’s twice leading sire of 2YOs Var, Talk Of The Town is out of Street Wise, a daughter of breed shaping sire, sire of sires, and broodmare sire, Street Cry.
Talk Of The Town’s first crop also includes debut winner Famous Lady, who subsequently finished a close-up second in the G3 TAB Pretty Polly Stakes.
He has a single lot on offer at the KZN Yearling Sale -a colt (Lot 181) bred on similar lines to the Var-sired G2 winner Purple Diamond.